The Tethered
A great variety of races populate Petroloth, but only a select number of them hold recognizable power. Known as the Tethered, these mortal beings make up most of the intelligent life in the world. Human The first race of living beings in all of Petroloth, the humans are as ancient as they are varied. Believed to be the only mortal race in which every one of the Gods truly participated in creating, the humans display a great diversity in cultures and technology. All throughout Petroloth, humans can be found constructing great kingdoms and vying for control of the land. Race Statistics You use the race statistics for humans as found in the Player's Handbook. Aasimar (Twin-Soul) Due to humankind’s unique origins, they are found to be far more in tune with the essence that created them. Aasimar, the Celestial word for “Twin-Soul,” means just that, a human born with two souls rather than one. Typically, aasimar are born beneath celestial events, such as eclipses, planetary alignment, and certain constellations. An aasimar will have a dominant soul, which provides their true personality, while their twin-soul acts more as a voice within their head, subtly influencing their behavior and acting the part of a guardian angel (or demon). Depending on the nature of their twin-soul, aasimar will be split into one of three categories: protector, scourge, and fallen. Race Statistics You use the statistics for aasimar as found in Volo's Guide to Monsters, with the only difference being: * Damage Resistance: '''You are not resistant to both radiant and necrotic damage. Rather, as a protector aasimar, you gain radiant resistance, and as a fallen aasimar you gain necrotic resistance. As a scourge aasimar, you may choose which damage type to gain resistance in. Goblin Goblins are as chaotic and conniving as Abdarium, the being who created them. No two goblins look alike, each having their own utterly unique and horrifying appearance. Some may be born with the heads of dogs, while others might have bony appendages growing from their backs. The goblins plagued the world for many generations, terrorizing the land and proving to be a formidable menace until their spread was stopped by Rykarn, who cursed the goblins to be ruled beneath the tyrannical bugbears. The goblins’ uncivilized and destructive behavior came to a halt after this decree, as they were forced to obey the totalitarian law of their new masters. Race Statistics * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Dexterity score increases by 2. * '''Size and Speed: '''Goblins wildly differ in size and build, but they never reach higher than 5 feet tall. You count as a Small creature, and Speed is equal to 30 feet. * '''Fury of the Small: '''When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage to the creature. The extra damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. * '''Nimble Escape: '''You can take the Disengage or Hide actions as a bonus action on each of your turns. * '''Languages: '''You can speak Common and Goblin. Subrace: Wild Goblin You are a savage and murderous goblin from the clans of the Great Frost. * '''Natural Weapon: '''You are proficient in using either a tail, horn(s), or claw(s) as natural unarmed attacks. These attacks use either Strength or Dexterity to hit and deal 1d6 slashing damage on a hit. * '''Pack Tactics: '''You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Subrace: Minion Goblin You are a slave to your bugbear overlords, but such hardships have given you an edge in cunning and guile. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Intelligence score increases by 1. * '''Cunning: '''You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic. Bugbear The bugbears can trace their ancestry back to the powerful leaders of goblin warbands many centuries ago, who were uplifted by the power of Rykarn and tasked with keeping their lesser brethren in line. Since then, the bugbears and goblins have turned their gaze inward toward one another, and now they war with each other in an attempt to conquer and unite the clans under one great goblinoid empire. Bugbears are volatile and warmongering, holding a great thirst for the glory of battle and the shed of blood, and because of this are disliked by many of the other races, but they are still tolerated. Race Statistics * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Strength score increases by 2. * '''Size and Speed: '''Bugbears typically stand at 7 to 8 feet tall, with muscular, bulky builds. Your Size counts as Medium, and your Speed is equal to 30 feet. * '''Long Limbed: '''When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 ft. greater than normal. * '''Powerful Build: '''You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. * '''Languages: '''You can speak Common and Goblin. Subrace: Tyrant Bugbear You are a disciplined and lawful bugbear from the goblinoid kingdom of Orzuvar. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Consitution score increases by 1. * '''Armor Proficiency: '''You have proficiency in wearing light and medium armor. * '''Relentless Endurance: '''When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest. Subrace: Savage Bugbear You are a wild and barbaric bugbear hardened by the winters of the Great Frost. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Dexterity score increases by 1. * '''Sneaky: '''You are proficient in the Stealth skill. * '''Surprise Attack: '''If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat. * '''Savage Attacks: '''When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit. Kenku Many centuries ago, the kenku were a mysterious and powerful race of people who served in secretive cults dedicated to Nir. Serving as messengers and prophets who heralded the word of their Goddess, the kenku flew across the land in search of secrets to divulge to Nir. However, the kenku began to grow secretive, and soon hoarded the knowledge they found for themselves. To punish the kenku, Nir stripped them of their wings, voices, and ingenuity, leaving them a mere shadow of their former dignity. Now, they long to take to the skies and share their knowledge as they once did years ago, and most will do anything they can to gain favor in the eyes of Nir. Race Statistics You use the statistics for the kenku race as found in Volo's Guide to Monsters, but instead of raising your Wisdom score by 1 you may choose to raise your Intelligence score by 1. Tykian The tykian were born from Sisilisis, who believed she could birth a race absolved of the carnal and emotional flaws present in her siblings’ creations. The reptillian tykian greatly reflect their Broodmother, as they have taken to calling Sisilisis, seeing the world in a cold and binary fashion. The tykian are still capable of emotion, but rather than feeling fear like a human would, they view the fear through a window of logic, understanding where the fear stems from and working to move away from it (or eliminate it) as quickly as possible. Likewise, a tykian might cannibalize a trusted friend they’ve known for years after their death, holding no sentimental value in the past and viewing their dead comrade as fresh meat. Race Statistics You use the statistics for the lizardfolk race as found in Volo's Guide to Monsters, but instead of having a natural armor bonus of 13 + your Dexterity modifier, it is instead 11 + your Dexterity modifier. As well, you speak Common and Tykian. Illithid The origins of the illithid cannot be traced directly back to any of the Gods, and it is thought that their appearance in Petroloth came either naturally or perhaps through the meddlings of the Uridamon. The illithid are a strange and alien hivemind race of beings hungry for knowledge and domination who only recently emerged from their subterranean colonies a few centuries ago during the 2nd Age. Each illithid colony is governed by an Elder Brain, who links the illithids together through thought and pursues a goal unknown to even its illithid underlings. However, each Elder Brain believes itself flawless and their egos can bring entire colonies to destruction. Illithids who venture out from beneath the surface are typically exiles who have been severed from the hivemind or agents from their colony furthering the plots of their Elder Brain. Race Statistics * '''Size and Speed: '''Your size counts as Medium, and your speed is equal to 30 feet. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Intelligence score increases by 2. * '''Tentacles: '''You can use your tentacles to attack a creature. It counts as a natural melee weapon that you are proficient with that uses your Intelligence to hit. On a hit, you deal 1d4 + Int Psychic damage. Medium and smaller creatures are grappled and must make a DC 8 + Int + proficiency Intelligence save or be stunned until the grapple ends. The creature can make another save at the end of each of their turns while grappled in order to end the stun. * '''Extract Brain: '''You attempt to extract the brain of an incapacitated creature you are grappling. It counts as a special weapon that you are proficient in, using Intelligence to hit. On a hit, you deal d10 psychic damage. If the damage reduces the target to 0 hp, the target dies by brain extraction, and you learn the memories of the dead creature. * '''Aberration: '''You have advantage on Intelligence saving throws. * '''Psionics: '''You can cast the spell Detect Thoughts (level 3) once per short rest. * '''Darkvision: '''You have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. * '''Languages: '''You can speak Common and Deep Speech. Myconid Shortly before the emergence of the illithids, the myconids came fleeing from the earth, locked in a great war with the “mind flayers” (as they called them) and losing. Desperate to escape assimilation into the hivemind, the myconids fled to the surface world and sought aid from the other races, who allowed the strange race to take refuge in their surface kingdoms. Since then, the animosity between the myconids and the illithids remains just as strong, and only under grave circumstances will a myconid work with an illithid. The myconids have made themselves known as a kind forest people, pursuing no plans of conquest or battle lest their colony is threatened. However, many myconids feel they must fulfill a greater purpose, and so seek out adventure wherever they might find it. Race Statistics * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Wisdom score increases by 2. * '''Size and Speed: '''Myconids are Small creatures, typically standing anywhere from 3 to 4 feet tall with a great variety of physical builds. Some myconids are long and slender, and others might be short and fat. * '''Super Darkvision: '''You have darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. * '''Sunlight Sensitivity: '''You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. * '''Pacifying Spores: '''You can use your action to eject spores at one creature you can see within 15 foot of you. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw equal to (8 + your Proficiency modifier + your Wisdom bonus) or be stunned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. You can use this ability once per every short rest. * '''Rapport Spores: '''A 20-foot radius of spores extends from the myconid. These spores can go around corners and affect only creatures with an Intelligence of 2 or higher that aren't undead, constructs, or elementals. Affected creatures can communicate telepathically with one another while they are within 30 feet of each other. The effect lasts for 1 hour. You can use this feature once per every short rest. * '''Damage Immunity: '''You are immune to poison damage and its effects. * '''Languages: '''You can speak Common and Undercommon. Thri-Kreen A nomadic people, the thri-kreen were born from Jadest, who saw the deserts of Petroloth too barren and devoid of creation. From this desire, the thri-kreen were born, a strange people with impressive empathy who are known to experience a greater range of emotions than that of humans. Many of the thri-kreen prefer to isolate themselves in their desert clans, scavenging ruins and wreckages to barter with other tribes and rarely involving themselves in the affairs of the rest of the world, save for trading. However, within the Grand Tauric Convention, a great number of thri-kreen have developed psionic powers and engage often in trade and politics with the rest of the world. Thri-kreen are seen as almost as alien as the illithids due to their inability to speak directly. Instead, they may employ the use of telepathy (if they can) to communicate with those not of their kind. Because of this psionic talent and unusual empathy, they are known to be excellent ambassadors and merchants, able to adjust their disposition based on what their mark is feeling. Race Statistics * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Dexterity score increases by 2. * '''Size and Speed: '''Thri-Kreen stand anywhere from 6 to 7 feet tall, with very slender and often lanky builds. Your size counts as Medium, and your Speed is equal to 40 feet. * '''Darkvision: '''You have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. * '''Sleepless: '''You do not need to sleep, but you still require rest. * '''Secondary Arms: '''The Thri-Kreen have a secondary set of weaker arms located along their torso beneath their regular ones. These arms can be used to hold additional light items or equipment but may not attack. You may perform an additional object interaction on your turn if either hand is empty. * '''Standing Leap: '''You are always considered to have a running start while jumping. * '''Kreen: '''You can only speak in Kreen, a language of insectoid clicks and physical movements. Subrace: Nomad Thri-Kreen You are a nomadic thri-kreen, enjoying the thrill of the hunt and the rush of adrenaline through your veins as you take to the wastes with fury. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Strength increases by 1. * '''Weapon '''Proficiency: '''You gain proficiency in the racial Gythka and Chatkcha weapons. * '''Toughness: '''Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level. Subrace: Psion Thri-Kreen You are a psion thri-kreen, more cultured than your cousin nomads and skilled in the ways of persuasion and mercantile. * '''Ability Score Increase: '''Your Charisma increases by 1. * '''Skill Proficiency: '''You gain proficiency in the Persuasion (Charisma) skill. * '''Psionics: '''You have limited telepathy within 60 ft. You can speak to creatures within this range telepathically even if you don’t share a language. As well, you can cast Mage Hand as a cantrip at will.